Early Learning

Early Learning with Seattle Public Schools

Research has firmly established that investing in early learning yields powerful benefits for children, both in early elementary and as a cornerstone to their overall educational success.

Yet it is not enough to provide quality education for a year or two in a child's early years. At Seattle Public Schools our vision is for every child to experience a quality, cohesive and joyful learning experience from PreK through third grade that will provide the strong foundation needed to succeed in school and life.

Preschool

Seattle Preschool Program Voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative in Fall 2014 to fund high-quality preschool throughout the city. Seattle Public Schools is collaborating with the City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning to manage multiple preschool classrooms. Visit our Preschool web page for more information.

Kindergarten

If you have registered your child for kindergarten, you'll receive a Welcome to Kindergarten mailing from Seattle Public Schools. It includes a letter from our superintendent aong with information about the different skills that most 5- and 6-year olds demonstrate when they are ready for school.

Get a Jump Start on kindergarten with our FREE transition program for new students. Typically held the third or fourth week of August, Jump Start offers children a chance to get comfortable in their new school, meet teachers and staff, and feel ready and confident when school starts in September. Visit our Jump Start webpage for more information.

WaKIDS

Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) is a process of connecting the adults in a children's lives so that they can be ready to start school. State legislators began implementing WaKIDS in 2011, adding additional schools yearly. WaKIDS-funded schools must engage in each of these three elements:

Before starting school, each new kindergartner's family is offered the chance to meet with their student's teacher to begin building a home-school partnership. In order for teachers to meet with families, the kindergarten start date is postponed three days, to the Monday after Labor Day. Your school will contact you in late August to schedule a time to meet.

2016 Parent/Guardian Survey Results

October 2016, we asked families for feedback about their Family Connection visits. We heard from nearly 25% (1070) of all 4861 families. The results were very positive; to request a copy, contact Early Learning Coordinator Mary Fickes: mpfickes@seattleschools.org.

Child Care Options

Finding a quality child care arrangement for your child is a big decision for families. We have collected a list of child care providers who provide before and after school child care as well as preschool programs at schools in the district. Please contact the provider directly to learn more about enrollment and their programs. Start your child care search on our child care options webpage.

Social Emotional Wellness: RULER

Seattle Public School's RULER is a social-emotional literacy curriculum developed by Yale University’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. The Early Learning department has spearheaded the adoption of this curriculum, which is now in use at 50 elementary and middle schools across the district. Learn more about RULER.

Our RULER program was recently featured on the Seattle.gov blog in a post called "How do you feel? Ask a kindergartner." In the article, the host of the Seattle Channel Brian Callanan gives a helpful overview of how the program is helping students manage their emotions. Read the Seattle Channel story.